CUNY Hosts “Educational Opportunities” Forum for Consul Generals

June 16, 2000

In an effort to strengthen ties to foreign-born students, Chairman Herman Badillo and Chancellor Matthew Goldstein hosted today an informational forum, “Educational Opportunities at the City University of New York,” at the Graduate Center for the Society of Foreign Consuls in New York, the world’s largest consular corps comprising more than 100 foreign consulates in the city.

“Students who are rich in ambition but poor financially must be able to climb the ladder upward to social and economic mobility,” said Chairman Badillo. “Access with standards is where CUNY comes in.”

Chancellor Goldstein said, “CUNY is an international University, and an institution that prides itself on its diversity. We welcome students from around the world. They contribute immeasurably to our campuses and our city.”

We are delighted have an opportunity to learn more about The City University of New York, said Michael Baume, AO, the President of the Society and the Consul General of Australia. As the educational home to many students born outside the United States, CUNY provides a unique opportunity to a quality higher education for many foreign nationals.

Founded in 1925, the Society is a unique organization that works to safeguard the interests and rights of Consular Corps members. Each consulate is the official representative for its nationals living in the United States, offering assistance on educational, pension and legal matters. The Society also strives to promote cultural and economic relations between the respective countries with the City of New York and the United States.

Chancellor Goldstein outlined many opportunities for international students at the University, including more than 200 undergraduate programs and more than 100 graduate programs at seventeen colleges, the Graduate Center, the law school and the medical school.

He noted that the University maintains exchange programs for students, from Austria, England, France and Germany and special intensive language programs for foreign students. Admission information is conveniently available at the University’s “one-stop” Information Center for Undergraduate Admissions, located at 1114 Avenue of the Americas and West 42nd Street, 15th floor, in the heart of mid-town Manhattan. For students currently residing outside the United States, admissions information is also available on the World Wide Web at www.cuny.edu.

The University boasts one of the most ethnically diverse urban universities in the world. Enrolled at 20 campuses in five boroughs, students hail from more than 190 countries. The diversity is also celebrated in the dozens of languages spoken including Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Creole, French, Polish and Korean.

Some of these students are among the University’s highest achievers. The University recently awarded its Salk Scholarships to outstanding graduates bound for prestigious medical schools this fall. Those students hailed from Tajikistan, Ghana, Ukraine, Poland and the Dominican Republic